Yates basketball team invited to the White House

Yates going from penthouse to White HouseMeeting with Obama to cap Lions’ dream season

SAM KHAN JR., Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, July 29, 2010

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Chronicle

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The Yates boys basketball team won its second consecutive Class 4A state championship in 2010.

The Yates boys basketball team won its second consecutive Class 4A state championship in 2010.

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Chronicle

Yates basketball team invited to the White House

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The Yates boys basketball team traveled a lot of miles last season and beat every team along the way. Now the Lions will be traveling again, only this time for some presidential recognition.

After winning their second consecutive Class 4A state championship and finishing ranked No. 1 nationally by five major high school polls, the Lions have been invited to visit the White House and President Barack Obama.

Wise said the trip will take place sometime in September, but an exact date has yet to be determined.

Yates (34-0) has won 58 consecutive games dating to the 2008-09 season and broke national records for single-season scoring average (116.2 points per game) and consecutive 100-point games (15). The Lions also set the state’s single-game scoring record (170) and won by an average of 50.7 points last season.

The recognition Yates has received for its accomplishments has been plentiful since it beat Lancaster 92-73 for the 4A state title in March.

“That’s unbelievable,” Wise said. “We had a mindset to do things nobody else had done and wanted to be No. 1 and make people around the country know that basketball in Houston was good.”

Wise said he’ll begin hashing out the details for the Washington trip with Yates principal Ronald Mumphery on Monday.

“Right now, I just feel ecstatic about having that opportunity,” Wise said.